Current airplane, train, and bus lavatories are typically single, small units that include a commode and a sink. When a passenger uses the lavatory unit, all the amenities of the unit are unavailable for use by another passenger. This can result in people waiting in the aisle for an available lavatory.
In order to reduce waiting times for lavatories, the number of lavatories has been increased. However, installing more lavatories also reduces the available space for passenger seats. This results in a decrease in the ability to generate revenue.
Examples of prior art aircraft lavatories include Japanese Patent Application 03350235 to Futoshi et al., which presents a men's restroom for an aircraft. The men's restroom includes a urinal, a sink, and other amenities. Similarly, in Japanese Patent Application 03350234, Futoshi et al. disclose a single lavatory unit that is combined with a toilet room and a room with a sink. Because this configuration is linear, however, it is not an effective use of space.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide more access to lavatory facilities with reduced wait times for passengers without adversely impacting revenue generation. However, there is an unmet need to improve the efficiency of and use of space of lavatories.